Key facts
- Traackr data showed sponsored hauls at 1.2% of sponsored posts in January through September 2026, down from 2.4% a year earlier.
- Sponsored unboxing posts fell to 0.7% of sponsored posts from 1.3%, per Traackr data.
- CreatorIQ data showed average monthly engagements per sponsored haul post at 1,780 in January through October 2026, down from 2,633 in 2025.
- Fohr's Grace Murray Vazquez said the platform is doing fewer hauls and fewer unboxings.
- A Harris Poll found 59% of holiday shoppers surveyed in October expected to make financial trade-offs this season.
- Traackr data showed more haul and unboxing posts were produced in 2026 than in 2025, but a smaller share of paid posts.
Sponsored haul and unboxing videos are taking a smaller share of paid creator posts, according to data from influencer marketing platform Traackr pulled for Business Insider and published on November 13, 2026. Hauls fell to 1.2% of sponsored posts in January through September 2026 from 2.4% in the same period of 2025, and sponsored unboxings fell to 0.7% from 1.3%.
Audience response has weakened. CreatorIQ data run for Business Insider found likes, comments and shares across all haul and unboxing posts had leveled off over the past year after a period of growth. Average monthly engagements per sponsored haul post fell to 1,780 in January through October 2026 from 2,633 in 2025, and stood at 5,900 in 2022.
Output has not fallen. Traackr's data showed more haul and unboxing posts were produced in 2026 than in 2025, though they made up a smaller percentage of paid posts. Grace Murray Vazquez, an EVP at influencer marketing platform Fohr, told Business Insider the firm is doing fewer hauls and fewer unboxings, and that brands and creators were focused more on content that integrated products into a story.
Lucy Kruszynski, global head of brand at agency Buttermilk, said the volume of a purchase used to be the story and the bigger the bag in the thumbnail, the higher the views. She said content now gives people a reason to care about a product beyond its being new, citing cost-per-wear breakdowns, wardrobe re-styling and product demonstrations.
Amanda Acevedo, director of talent at G&B Digital Management, estimated she used to receive 10 outreach requests a month for haul-style fashion and makeup videos and said she could not remember the last such request. Creator Julia Comil said brands now ask her for more creative videos with storytelling, and that a recent Instagram Reel for a Longchamp bucket bag cost more to make because she hired a videographer but drew more views and sales.
Marketers and creators gave several explanations. Lily Comba, CEO of Superbloom, said people are tired of being sold to on social media. Natasha Valerie, cofounder of The Viralist Group, said people are exposed to ads every day and are more selective. A Harris Poll found 59% of holiday shoppers surveyed in October expected to make financial trade-offs this season.
Alex Rawitz, director of research and insights at CreatorIQ, said the approaching holiday season, when the format's prevalence spikes, will indicate whether it holds up. Kruszynski said TikTok Shop's unboxing and product-led content can still drive sales because buying there is easy.